If you were anywhere
in the vicinity of Southampton, England, or New York City this spring,
you’d have been hard-pressed to miss one of the biggest marine-related
stories so far this year: the maiden transatlantic crossing of the Queen
Mary 2. In fact, you’d have been hard-pressed to miss the ocean
liner herself—even the most jaded New Yorkers found themselves slowing
down their cars to take a better look.

The longest and tallest
ocean liner ever built, the Queen Mary 2 is 1,132 feet LOA—five
times longer than Cunard’s first ship, Britannia, and 113
feet longer than the first Queen Mary. She also boasts a 20,000-square-foot
Canyon Ranch spa, a planetarium, and balconies for 75 percent of her staterooms.
It’s no wonder that Cunard registered “The Most Famous Ocean
Liner in the World” as her service mark.

But even the “largest,
longest, tallest, greatest, widest, and grandest ocean liner in the world”
(a Cunard tag line) can’t compete with some of the world’s largest
yachts. For starters:

Sure, the Queen Mary
2 can accommodate 2,620 passengers—but why subject yourself to
sharing the seas with so many people when you can have the world’s
largest charter yacht, Savarona (no. 2), all to yourself?

The Zone, an activities
area onboard the Queen Mary 2 that’s specially designed for
kids ages eight to 12, features an array of toys and activities from board
games to computer games. But why let the kids have all the fun, when you
can tee off the aft deck the way Lady Lola’s owner does (no.
61)? The golf balls even return to the yacht via remote control.

Hmm. The Queen Mary
2 may be the most famous vessel afloat, but she’s hardly the
most special, in our humble opinion.

So without apologies
to Cunard, here are the 100 largest, longest, tallest, greatest, widest,
and grandest yachts in the world.